Brevard Cops Find House Full Of Child Porn

Officers Say Suspect Looks Like An All-american Hero

COCOA - An ``All-American-hero kind of a guy'' was arrested late Thursday by Brevard County deputies after they discovered more than 1,000 pieces of child pornography in his home.

The man, a former chief deputy for a sheriff's department in North Carolina, is a registered sex offender with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Larry E. Horton, 50, 6983 Ash Drive, was charged with 50 counts of possession of child pornography and 50 counts of sexual performance by a child. Sheriff's Agent Rob Lape said the total number of counts may eventually surpass 1,000 once agents complete their review.

``The sheer volume of material he had was astounding,'' said Lape, who said Horton had served seven years in prison for lewd and lascivious actions with a child under the age of 16.

Horton, recently divorced, was not accused of any attacks on children in Brevard, however, agents said their investigation is continuing.

``He had an expressed interest in prepubescent boys. That was his preference. He is a pedophile,'' Lape said. Experts consider pedophilia incurable.

Horton lived in Brevard since 1994 and worked in Orlando as an electrician.

His background included serving in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star and served as a military police officer. He also served as a Little League coach, although he has not worked with children in Brevard, Lape said.

``This man does not look like what parents tend to think the typical child molester looks like. He's not a monster or an old man in the park in a raincoat. To sit and talk with him, he's an All-American hero kind of a guy,'' Lape said.

Lape said the lesson parents can learn from the arrest is that kids are victimized by people they know. They should be alert for anyone who wants to spend time alone with their child away from group activities, the agent said.